2In the second year of the reign of Ahasu-e'rus11.2 Gk: Artaxerxes the Great, on the first day of Nisan, Mor'decai the son of Ja'ir, son of Shim'e-i, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, had a dream. 3He was a Jew, dwelling in the city of Susa, a great man, serving in the court of the king. 4He was one of the captives whom Nebuchadnez'zar king of Babylon had brought from Jerusalem with Jeconi'ah king of Judea. And this was his dream:

5Behold, noise11.5 Or voices and confusion, thunders and earthquake, tumult upon the earth! 6And behold, two great dragons came forward, both ready to fight, and they roared terribly. 7And at their roaring every nation prepared for war, to fight against the nation of the righteous. 8And behold, a day of darkness and gloom, tribulation and distress, affliction and great tumult upon the earth! 9And the whole righteous nation was troubled; they feared the evils that threatened them, and were ready to perish. 10Then they cried to God; and from their cry, as though from a tiny spring, there came a great river, with abundant water; 11light came, and the sun rose, and the lowly were exalted and consumed those held in honour.

12Mor'decai saw in this dream what God had determined to do, and after he awoke he had it on his mind and sought all day to understand it in every detail.